Most sports fans I know refuse to watch golf unless Tiger Woods is playing, and there’s a similar effect going on when Usain Bolt comes to the block for a race. People were absolutely mesmerized yesterday afternoon when Bolt smoked Tyson gay to set a world record in the 100m. Although the race lasted just under 10 seconds, fans were talking about how awesome it was for hours after the race.

I don’t know if it’s the fact that he seems to be having so much fun before, during, and after the race…. or the fact that he makes crushing his opponents look so damned effortless. All I know is…..it’s working… whatever it is.

Everyone knew Michael Vick was going to use his interview with James Brown on 60 Minutes to say how sorry he was, how much he’s changed, and how he’s going to make a difference in the future. So it’s safe to say that part went in one ear and out the other as far as I’m concerned, what did catch my attention is how Michael Vick admitted that he was a lazy player. If you follow the NFL closely, you knew about the rumors that Vick didn’t commit to his craft and was more interested in partying than studying.

He used to deny this constantly, but tonight he finally confirmed that he was always the last guy in the building and the first guy to leave, and he didn’t spend much time studying and working on technique.

So if Michael Vick made it to the NFC Championship game, 3 or 4 Pro Bowls, and rushed for 1,000 yards in his last season based on raw talent alone, can you imagine how good he’s going to be if he actually dedicates himself to the sport now? It’s almost sickening when you really think about how much untapped potential there is when it comes to Vick as a player, knowing the most exciting quarterback in the game was only giving 50% of what he was capable of.

There are a good number of fans who always say “He’s a running back with an arm, he should just play that position, or maybe he can convert to a wide receiver.” That quote is usually followed by them saying he has a 55% completion rating and a 75% quarterback rating. I’ve always thought those stats were a little misleading in the case of Michael Vick because he didn’t play like a traditional QB. A quarterback rating on a “normal” player usually gives you a pretty good picture of how they contribute to the team, but in Vick’s case it doesn’t account for the ton of rushing yards (and rushing TDs) that Vick gives the team.

When you think about guys like Peyton Manning who are legendary for studying and putting in countless hours of preparation, what kind of success could Vick have if he committed to the same habits? I don’t think guys like Manning or Brady have half the athletic talent that Vick does but they’ve always been better football players, so the next few years will be really interesting to see if he’s serious about turning things around.

UFC 101 was supposed to continue the momentum of UFC 100, which was the biggest event in MMA history as far as mainstream exposure is concerned. However, this event had a total lack of excitement up until the fight you’re about to see. Anderson Silva proved proved he’s the best fighter in the world and utterly destroyed Forrest Griffin, who many assumed would give Silva one of the toughest fights he’s had.

When you watch this video, it’s the closest thing you’ll see to the Roy Jones of the late 1990s… you know… the guy who went into the ring with a complete disregard for his opponents skill and made it look effortless while he dismantled them? Yes… thats what Anderson Silva did to Forrest Griffin.

I’ve heard some people say this knockout wasn’t impressive, but I think it takes a huge set of balls to stand in front of a bigger, more powerful fighter with your hands down and still have your way.

Chris Arreola is my favorite active Heavyweight fighter because of his knockout ability and vulnerable style which makes for exciting fights. That “vulnerable style” is mostly due to the fact that he gets so fat and out of shape between fights, he is usually gassed beyond belief well before his matches are over. Chris is facing Vitali Klitschko this September and has the potential to go from an up-and-coming attraction to a full fledged star.

The problem?

The fight is less than 2 months away and Chris was recently spotted in public looking fatter than he’s ever been. The rumors say he’s 300lbs (which is about 60 pounds heavier than he needs to be)… and this greatly increases the chances that he’s going to get his ass kicked come September.

One of the biggest misconceptions hovering around the upcoming Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight is the notion that Mayweather handpicked an easy opponent to collect a check. You can ask any *real* boxing fan around about Marquez and they should have him in their top 5 pound for pound. If I had to pick a winner between the two, I’d choose Mayweather easily, but when you take the following factors into account, the outcome may not be so cut-and-dry anymore.

1. Floyd is coming off a 2 year layoff – I don’t care who you are, if you step out of the ring for 2 years theres going to be a little bit of rust when you come back. Another thing to consider is that boxers can literally turn old in ONE fight (see Roy Jones Jr.), it’s always a dangerous decision to take long layoffs when you’re over the age of 30. Floyd’s saving grace *may* be that he walks around in shape at all times, he doesn’t need to drop 20-30 pounds for a comeback fight.

2. Floyd is nursing a rib injury - There’s a conspiracy theory floating around that Mayweather created this rib injury out of thin air because ticket sales for the bout was low, but it almost exclusively comes from fanatical Floyd haters. The type of rib cartilage injury could be a huge hindrance if it’s not fully healed by the time fight night is here on September 19th. Floyd is not an offensive powerhouse, he relies on quickness, reflexes, and defensive counter punching to win fights. This injury could potentially slow him down just enough to make the bout closer than we all expected.

3. Roger Mayweather’s troubles with the law - In case you hadn’t heard, Floyd’s uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather was arrested yesterday for laying the smack down on a woman. This issue wouldn’t be a problem in normal circumstances, but it does serve as another dark cloud hovering over this fight. Will it serve as a distraction in camp?

4. Is Floyd overlooking Marquez for Pacquiao? - I’ve mentioned this before, but if you pay attention to all the pre-fight press on this bout you’ll notice Floyd spends more time fielding questions about Manny Pacquiao than he does on his current opponent. None of us know what Floyd does behind closed doors to prepare for Marquez, but if outward actions are any indication he clearly isn’t worried about Marquez in the slightest.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, in an ideal situation Floyd would win this fight with his eyes closed (he’s just that good), but this situation is getting further and further away from ideal. At this point my prediction for the winner still hasn’t changed, but I will say I would NOT be surprised if we all witnessed a huge upset next month.